Chaosstar is a progressive metal band from Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was formed in 2004 by Jure JJ Jurca (vocals, guitars), Vasja Beast Čepič; (guitars), Dare Ramot (bass) and Primož Jelševar (drums). The line-up remains the same to this day.

Chaosstar's music comprises of many different genres of metal, especially heavy and speed metal. The band has many influences, spanning from classical to modern music and each band member has his own favourites; their tastes however unite in metal and among others they cite Iron Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest, Helloween and Dream Theater as the bands they all love and respect.

In January 2009 Chaosstar released their first album Lifetime on On Parole Productions. The album was delayed many times due to financial and technical problems. It was recoreded in Chaosstar Studios in Slovenia and produced by Primož Jelševar. Mastering was done by Dave Collins. Lifetime is a concept album, consisting of 8 songs.

While all band members spent their early years attending musical school, the lure of rock and metal proved to be to strong. As neighbours, JJ and Dare have known eachother for most of their lives. In 1997 JJ met Beast, who become his guitar instructor. For two years they practiced guitar techniques and scales. At 17 JJ decided he knew enough and they lost touch for a while.

Inspired by his neighbour, Dare bought himself an electric bass. After changing a few band members, they formed a band Offside with Gregor Budal on vocals and Rok Večerin on Drums. After a short stint with Marko Gallien on guitars the band fell apart.

Bulwyf

In 2001 JJ and Dare were joined by Pero Potočnik on drums and they played a few gigs as Corpus Delicti. However, they needed another guitar player. JJ, who was also handling vocal duties by now, contacted his former guitar instructor Beast, who was busy with various psychodelic projects at the time. After they failed, he auditioned for Corpus Delicti and passed it with flying colours. Eventually they changed their name to Bulwyf, a viking name, inspired by the movie 13th Warrior. A few original songs were made and the band recorded a 3 song demo. The demo was never released, but it did feature songs Dreams of reality and On my way which were later used for the album Lifetime. Pero left the band in 2004 after a few gigs.

Formation

After a few weeks the core of the band, JJ, Dare and Beast, got in touch with Primož Jelševar, an eager drummer from Zagorje. He used to play keyboards and guitar, but later switched to drums. A new band member brought new influences in the band and they needed a new name. Chaosstar was chosen eventually.

Lifetime years

In late 2005, after solving major logistic difficulties with the moving of the gear back and forth from Ljubljana to Zagorje, Chaosstar finally recorded a demo song Rebirth. Due to financial problems it was recorded in home made Chaosstar studios. It was a start, but it could have bene done better. The band returned to finalizing the material for the album and playing gigs as a cover band to raise money for equipment. In 2006 they also played a number of gigs as Chaosstar (among them, the MMOA festival), receiving some good reviews. Heads were starting to turn. The recording process was on halt, however, sometimes for weeks or even months at the time.

In early 2007 the recording sessions finally took place and lasted a few months due to lack of time as the band members were focusing on studies. In 2008 Primož edited, mixed and produced the album. It was mastered by Dave Collins in December 2008.

After the release of Lifetime in January 2009 Chaosstar toured Slovenia. The Lifetime tour lasted until September 2009 and involved 15 club shows and apperances on Paranoid Open Air 09, Šklab Fest 09 and Metal Kramp 09 festivals. In september 2009 the band announced they were heading back to the studio to record new material.

Discography

A demo version of the song Rebirth apears on the compilation New Order Vol. II, released by OPP label in 2006.

A demo version of the song Hurricanes Of Madness appears on the compilation Kuolm U Glavo, released in 2006.

In January 2009 the label On Parole Productions released Chaosstar's first album Lifetime. It consists of 8 songs, full of pounding drums, different techniques used on the bass, biting guitars with lightning fast solos and soaring vocals with screams, worthy of metal gods. Guest musicians (keyboards, piano, harps, female back vocals and growls) are also featured on the album as the band wanted a different feel for some of the songs. The lyrics tell a story of predetermination, decisions and sacrifice. It bears a positive notion, that a person always has a choice. The battle between the good and evil is also presented on the album through dueling instruments and vocal parts.

Jure JJ Jurca is a songwriter, singer and guitarist from Ljubljana, Slovenia. He was born in 1982. He graduated at the Universtiy of Ljubljana with a degree in electrotechnics in 2007 an is an engineer of electronics.

As a frontman, JJ handles vocal and guitar duties. He is known for his high pitched screams and wailing vocals; his guitar playing style includes powerful rhythm parts and »guitar wiz« solos.

JJ plays the Zerberus Hydra II guitar and he is also an endorser for the Zerberus company in Slovenia. He also uses Ibanez JEM. His sound is generated by Mesa/Boogie 2:50 power amp and a Mesa/Boogie Quad Preamp. He uses a TC Electronics effect processor.

JJ enrolled in musical school at the age of 10 and attended classical guitar lessons until he turned 15. When he got an electric guitar, he quit and later took lessons from Beast until the age of 17. He was involved in a few projects with Dare (Offside, Corpus Delicti, NKKR, 3O SQTA). In 2002 he called Beast to audition for the band Corpus Delicti, which later changed it's name to Bulwyf and was a predecessor of Chaosstar. In recent years he too has been giving guitar lessons.

Vasja Čepič is a songwriter and guitarist from Ljubljana, Slovenia. He was born in 1980. He graduated cum laude at the University of Maribor Faculty of Law with a degree in EU law in 2009. His nickname Beast is an internet nick he has been using since 1996; it also agrees with his manic stage persona.

Beast's arsenal of guitar skills ranges from clean guitar parts, furious hi gain rhythm playing to neoclassical shreding, sweep arpeggios, tapping and use of natural and pinch harmonics. He sings back vocals live. He also plays classic and acoustic guitar.

Beast plays a Fender Stratocaster with a floyd rose locking tremolo and two humbucker pickups. His live rig consists of a PSSE 4x12 cabinet, Peavey 50/50 power amp, Mesa/Boogie Quad Preamp, Nobels MS-8 midi switcher and Rocktron Xpression and Midi Mate. He uses Earnie Ball strings and Jazz III XL picks. Has been using an Ibanez RG on stage.

Beast started playing guitar at the age of 9. Among his teachers on the Franc Šturm School Of Music were Marko Kryžanowsky and Uroš Usenik. He dropped out at 15 and formed a punk band Kripl Bataljon with Črt Batagelj (Dirty Skunks) and Peter Gale (Sweet Sorrow). At 17 he started taking lessons from Matej Mršnik, Slovenia's master guitar slinger. He formed a metal band Soul Killers with Matic Novak (Divji Kojoti, Age Of Antz), Peter Hudnik (Frozen Child) and Miha Bes (Avven). Started giving guitar lessons to JJ. After a few failed projects he joined Corpus Delicti at the age of 21. They later changed their name to Bulwyf and after the arrival of Primož Jelševar renamed themselves Chaosstar.

Dare Ramot is a bassist from Ljubljana, Slovenia. He was born in 1981.

Dare's bass sound is based on the use of different techniques like tapping, slapping, playing with fingers or a pick. He provides back vocals live.

Dare plays a Music Man Stingray5 bass. His live rig is an EBS amp and a custom 4x10 cabinet. He also uses Ibanez Soundgear 5 string bass and a H&S 6 string bass live. He uses Elixir strings and Dunlop picks.

Dare started playing guitar at the age of 15, but soon changed over to a 4 string and later 5 string bass. He has played in various punk projects during highschool, but that was not the musical direction he wanted to take. He and JJ started jamming together and soon their ongoing musical partnership was formed. Besides his work in Chaosstar, he has been involved in various side projects with JJ (Offside, Corpus Delicti, NKKR, 3O SQTA). He has some experience with contrabass.

Primož Jelševar is a drummer and musical producer from Zagorje, Slovenia. He was born in 1981. He graduated at the University of Maribor with a degree in industrial management in 2008. He has variuos nicknames.

Primož's drumming skills consist of use of various double bass drums techniques, combined with heavy use of different toms and cymbals. He likes playing with different techniques and uses unusual time signatures. He sings back vocals live. He also plays basic guitar and keyboards. He is an endorser for boutique drum manufacturer Wang Percussion from Taiwan.

Primož's first musical inspiration was his father Slavko, who played guitar in a Slovene oberkrainer band Interval. He attended every father's practice. He started playing an accordion at the age of 8 and finished the elementary musical school at the age of 14. He later switched to keyboards and formed a teen synthesizer band with his cousin. When he was 15, he started playing electrical guitar and drums and formed a band Read Only Mind (R.O.M.) with local musicians. He later played guitar for a band Nemo. In his early 20s he put aside his guitar and keys to focus on drumming. He has been a member of Chaosstar since 2004 and is also involved in a brutal death metal band Ambassador Of Sifilis. He also records and produces music in Chaosstar Studios. In last 10 years he produced and recorded several bands in the Chaosstar Studios. He is an endorser for Wang Percussion, boutique drum manufacturer form Taiwan.

Lifetime is the first studio album from Slovenian progressive metal band Chaosstar, released in 2009 on On-Parole Productions. It was recorded in 2008 and 2009 in Chaosstar Studios in Zagorje, Slovenia. It is a concept album about life, good and evil, determination and free will.

History

The album Lifetime features songs, written by Beast and JJ. The story of the album was inspired by folklore, stories written by H.P. Lovecraft and personal beliefs of the authors. The message of the album is that each person has the right to choose his path and can use his free will, even if his faith is predetermined. It's about an individual and his connection to the more veiled dimensions of the universe and the implications they have on his life. This is presented lyrically in the songs through philosophical and sometimes paraphilosophical ideas such as inevitable conjunction of good and evil, predetermination and the occult.

Though the songs were written as singles through a longer period of time, they share some musical themes and the lyrics follow the storyline.

Lifetime I-IV is the instrumental opener of the album. It starts with harps and slowely progresses into a majestic part with female choir canon singing and the band playing.

Devil's Whisper is a song about the birth of the main character. Though the lyrics involve folklore motifs, such as the birth of the anticrist and dealing with the devil, it does not bear religious messages and it is inspired by H.P. Lovecraft.

Hurricanes of Madness follows the storyline with the birth of the main character of the album and tells a story about his incertaincies about the world he grew up (and lives) in.

Rebirth is a song about free will. It features the main character's epiphany and the choices he is willing to make, to live his life in his own way. Though the song does follow the storyline, it's also about the struggle of a young musician and philosopher in present days.

Lifetime V-XVIII is the central song of the album. It features female choir back vocals, harps, keyboards and piano as an addition to the band's normal lineup. The lyrics tell a story about the eternal battle of good versus evil, treachery, and the choice to be what you want to be, not what you were destined to be. The storyline reaches the peak in this song with the main character's battle agaist his past and his origin.

Dreams Of Reality was one of the first original songs ever played by the band and was written by JJ when still playing with Bulwyf. A demo version was recorded in 2003, but never released.

On My Way was also written by Beast for the Bulwyf project and also made its way on the unreleased demo tape. On the Lifetime version it features guest vocals by Danny Sifilis, frontman of Slovenia's death metal band Amabassador of Sifilis. Lyrically it's the conclusion of the album's concept and tells a story about the decision to leave, rather than to stay, knowing his heart has been tainted by the ordeal.

Lifetime XIX is a short instrumental song featuring only harps and clean guitars.

Lifetime album was supported by Slovenian Lifetime tour 2009, consisting of 18 shows, including Paranoid Open Air, Šklab Fest and Metal Kramp festival appearances. All of the songs of the album were played live.

The cover artwork

The cover artwork for the album was inspired by a Moebius strip. The band agreed on the concept after trying to find an original idea for several months. The original artwork was created by Boštjan Piksl Verbič with assistance of the band, who also created the layout for the booklet. The final version of the cover artwork and the booklet graphics was done by Charlie for On Parole Productions. The photos in the booklet were taken by Voranc Vogel.

Slovenian prog metal band Chaosstar are back at the studio, recording a new project, which should see the light of day in 2010

After a successful tour in their homeland, having played 15 club gigs and making three festival appearances (Paranoid Open Air, Šklab Fest and Metal Kramp) in a few months, Chaosstar are back in the studio in Zagorje. The tour was a promotion for their album Lifetime, which was released in January 2009 and has gotten good reviews by fans and critics of hard rock and metal – in Slovenia and abroad.

The band has recently celebrated their 5th anniversary and are still playing in the original line-up: JJ (vocals, guitar), Beast (guitar), Dare (bass), Primož (drums). The new project is being produced in the Chaosstar studios, a recording facility, which the band has made for themselves. Primož still remains the head of the production, but the rest of the band is also making a larger contribution to the recording process. The new material somewhat follows the storyline of the Lifetime album and retains melodic/progy sound; the band however are striving for a more rock oriented sound and (like many other progressive bands) have experimented with the classical music, havind dabbled with the Jacques Offenbach's Can Can – in their own original Chaosstar way.

The new Chaosstar project will be an EP, featuring the original composition, a radio edit and a cover. The band's great wish is to also release it on vinyl, if possible. A short tour will follow and then Chaosstar will be recording a new album.

Slovenian metal band Chaosstar are very proud of their logo, which they presented after the release of their album Lifetime. It has been drawn by Christophe S., who has been named »Lord of the logos«. Because of the excellent response to the logo, the prog band form Ljubljana have decided to work with him again.

»Even though the story of our logo is far from over, the new cooperation with Chris is about something else, « says Beast (guitars). The reason for contacting the ever busy Christophe, who has created logos for hundreds of bands, is simple – Chaosstar want to enhance their graphical design with a new simbol and a coat of arms to match the logo. »The original symbol's lines are just to soft for the logo Christophe has created, that's why we want him to match the symbol with the logo. In top of that, we want some sort of a coat-of-arms, which would represent all members of the band and the places we came frome, in a very original way. We want to keep the symmetry of the logo, this is why the »Lord« is THE choice". The original idea for the coat-of-arms was drawn by Beast and Christophe loved it, sketched it right away and said it will be one of the best projects of 2010. Chaosstar are angstiously waiting fora new mastepiece from the Belgian, who also likes their music a lot – he didin't want any payment for the logo, he wanted the Lifetime album!

Chaosstar Music Club proudly announces to all fans of Slovenian metal that they can expect the tr00est of all the festivals – Metal Kramp – also in 2010!

Metal Kramp is a metal festival, located in Zasavje region of Slovenia. It was brought to life in 2007 by Chaosstar music club. In it's first incarnation it took place over three weekends, each of them presenting the very best of Slovenia's thrash, black and death metal bands. In 2009 a new location in Kotredež near Zagorje-on-Sava was used and it turned out to be great. The festival is regarded as tr00 among the fans, not being spoilt by commercial clutter that accompanies major festivals. It is also knows for the great attitude the visitors get from the fest staff and each other. In addition, the Metal Kramp festival represents an important contribution for culture in Zasavje and Slovenia, as the bends featured in 2009 were from Slovenia exclusively. Metal Kramp 2010 will be brought to you by Chaosstar Music Club, composed of the members of the band Chaosstar and volunteers, all of them having particularly one thing in common: a great desire for a more pluralistic music scene and more opportunities for alternative musicians, for they are also the ones, who are developing a contemporary music culture of Slovenia, only to be overshadowed to many times by the glitter of the mainstream kitsch.

Metal band Chaosstar have been in the studio for a few months, recording a new project, which should be released in 2010.

After the tour to support the album Lifetime (2009), Chaosstar have closed them selves in the studio to record a new project. After moving all of the studio gear twice in search of the ever-elusive sound, the recording still continues. The new product will not be a classic album, as the band decided to record an EP from parts of the material written during the recording of Lifetime. The next full-length studio album will be recorded next. The band has arranged a few short, original ideas into a composition, lasting around 15 minutes. JJ and Beast have been credited for songwriting, while the arrangement credits go to the whole band. Executive producer of the project remains the drummer Primož, however other members of the band have helped co produce some of the material. Chaosstar's rather optimistic goal is to edit the song in postproduction to a more radio friendly format. The would also like to introduce their more »old skool« side to the fans and have decided to record one of the more progressive classics in the history of rock music. The negotiations with the publisher regarding the copyrights are currently in progress, recording will commence as soon as the deal is established and the final product should see the light of day in mid 2010.

Chaosstar's drummer Primož, the endorser of the boutique drum manufacturer Wang percussion, finds himself yet again on his way to Frankfurt Musikmesse!

When Chaosstar visited the »Messe« a few years ago, their drummer Primož Jelševar never imagined he would find the drum battery of his dreams. And it was because of his great interest in their products and his spontaneous demonstration of his hard, yet precise hitting, that the kind Asians offered Primož an endorsement deal. Later that day he took home to Slovenia one of the biggest, most »bad ass« drum batteries ever. It was last year, when the band visited Frankfurt again and the »wild goblin« again gave a few demonstrations of his skills to the public for Wang Percussion's brand DJ Drums. This year he received a similar invite and will again be heading north in a few days. Apart from all the great stuff a musician can experience in Frankfurt, such a visit is also a great way to promote the band and establish some contacts. Primož has also revealed, that he and the guys at Wang Percussion are close to sealing a deal about making a signature snare drum. According to some preliminary sketches, it will bare the band's symbol, which currently is being drawn by Christophe Szpajdel.

Chaosstar are in the studio again after the Slovenian tour in support of their album Lifetime (2009). The band thoroughly renovated their studio gear to achieve even better sound. The production on the first album was done by drummer Primož Jelševar and Chaosstar decided to produce the second project themselves as well. After recording demos and testing different settings, the progheads began the process of recording one of the largest drum batteries of all time. All the recordings are acoustic, without triggers that allow sampling of drum sounds. 28 microphones were used for recording, among the standard ones also the legendary Sennheiser 441, mikes used for decades by politicians and dictators. »It's a great microphone, it’s sound is incredible. Perhaps it's the key to the mystery, why lying politicians can sound so believable. We used it for recording of the hi-hat, it's just super smooth,« reveals Primož. The band loves the sound of the drums and are already recording guitar parts.

Belgian artist Christophe Szpajdel, also known as »Lord of the logos«, has created a new symbol for chaosstar

»A good graphic design can get you spotted and that's what every band wants,« explains Dare, bass player for Slovenian progressive band Chaosstar. After Szpajdel created a logo for the band, they also needed a new symbol, a different rendering of the chaos symbol, after which they were named. Christophe has drawn a logo, which differs form the old one. »For start le me say, that everything this band does as a band is a real test of friendship and unity. We're really chaotic and we see a symbolism in Chaosstar: four members, four sides. And of course, the »intermediate« sides, our egos. We wanted those to be smaller, metaphorically and literally – on the symbol and in real life,« says Beast, guitars. The new Chaosstar looks tighter and has sharper lines. The next step is to make a computer rendering of the symbol.

Metal band Chaosstar is once again in kahoots with the author of their original symbol – Tomaž Kranjc

The basic mission for most of the bands is clear – they create music. Many bands have gone further than that and enhanced their music with exciting graphic solutions. In the spirit of progressive bands, Chaosstar have also aspired to do so. This has resulted in their logo (by Szpajdel), but their symbol predates the logo by a few years. It even predates the band itself, as Beast (guitars) explains: »It started as an idea for the graphic design for my guitar. After the change in the drummer seat, a new name was in order. The idea for the name Chaosstar was around for a few weeks, then we realized it sounds great. And besides, we already had a symbol (laughs).« The original symbol of chaos the band uses for almost six years, is an early work of Tomaž Kranjc, nowadays the founder and owner of the graphic studio Grafika Piksel. Chaosstar needed someone to make a computerized version of their new symbol and it was logical they chose Tomaž: he liked their album Lifetime so much, that he also wanted to be a part of their projects. The new symbol will replace the old one. It is, however, a part of a much bigger picture. How big? Just wait and see.

Chaosstar would like to offer their fans and fans of spicy food something different and fresh - a hot sauce by a metal band. It' going to be produced by a renowned maker of hot sauces and they have made an original recipe, which includes both habanero and chipotle chillies.

You can check out three different graphic designs and name proposals for the sauce. Please let us know, which name and design you like the best. Any additional suggestion are welcome, write us at band@chaosstar.net. Tnx

After JJ quit Chaosstar in 2010, Chaosstar auditioned numerous male and female vocalists and found a singer and a screamer. His name is Matic and sings like hell! Despite his youth, he is a seasoned musician. He started as a guitarist in a cover band Resonanca and was the singer of a metal band Starlight prior to joining Chaosstar. He also worked with legends of yugo hard rock Divlje Jagode. More info coming!